EU extends Russia sanctions by three years to 2029 while delisting Usmanov and Fridman
The European Union agreed to prolong individual sanctions over the war in Ukraine until September 2029, removing Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman under a compromise deal pushed by France and Slovakia.
Compromise on sanctions renewal
The Council of the European Union agreed on 22 September 2026 to extend individual restrictive measures over Russia's aggression against Ukraine for 36 months, keeping them in force until 22 September 2029. Under the previous framework, EU member states had to renew the blacklist every six months through unanimous consent. The extended package maintains travel bans, asset freezes, and financing prohibitions across approximately 3,000 listed individuals and entities. In exchange for the three-year extension, member states agreed to drop Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the EU sanctions list. The move required unanimous backing from all 27 member states ahead of the midnight deadline.
Member state demands and legal claims
Negotiations over the package escalated after existing sanctions approached their 15 September 2026 expiration date. On 14 September 2026, member states adopted a provisional one-week extension to 22 September 2026 to prevent the entire sanctions regime from lapsing during negotiations. France requested the removal of Usmanov on national security grounds, while Slovakia demanded the delisting of both Usmanov and Fridman. Luxembourg also supported the removal of Fridman, who had filed a 16 billion dollar claim against the country. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki addressed the constraints created by the consensus requirement during talks in Brussels.
We are hostages to the principle of unanimity. We just have to seek agreement.
Baltic resistance and domestic countermeasures
Latvia remained the final member state resisting the delisting of Usmanov and Fridman during ambassadorial talks in Brussels. On the evening of 21 September 2026, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs held discussions with several EU counterparts before accepting the compromise. The Latvian government stated that it approved the measure solely to protect restrictions across the broader registry of targets. Kulbergs explained the rationale behind Riga's decision following the talks.
This was not a choice between a good and a bad solution, but between a bad and a much worse one: we were choosing between changing the status of two individuals and the future of the entire sanctions system, which covers more than 2,600 individuals and entities linked to Russian aggression.
Latvian authorities announced that they will implement national-level sanctions against Usmanov and Fridman to maintain domestic financial restrictions.
Ukrainian reaction and list history
- EU freezes assets of Alisher Usmanov, including the yacht Dilbar, following the invasion of Ukraine.
- Usmanov's sister Gulbakhor Ismailova is removed from the EU sanctions list following Hungarian lobbying.
- EU member states agree to a provisional one-week extension of expiring sanctions until 22 September.
- EU ambassadors draft a three-year extension agreement as Ukraine objects to removing oligarchs.
- EU member states approve extending sanctions to September 2029 while removing Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha condemned the agreement, arguing that the removal of both figures weakens international accountability for Russian aggression. Usmanov, whose assets including the luxury yacht Dilbar were frozen following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, had seen his sister Gulbakhor Ismailova delisted in 2025 following lobbying by Hungary. Sybiha called on individual European nations to impose domestic sanctions to counter the EU decision.
The decision to remove Usmanov and Fridman from the sanctions list is shameful and unjustified. Moscow is celebrating because it achieved what it wanted: a sense of impunity, the humiliation of the EU and division among Europeans.
The formal regulation executing the three-year extension and the delistings is scheduled for publication in the Official Journal of the European Union before midnight on 22 September 2026.
